


Alway Loved, Never Forgotten

by Jem4ever



Category: Pretty Little Liars
Genre: 9/11 Emison two-shot, Angst Warning, F/F, Major character death - Freeform, and I want to apologize in advance, lots of tears shed during this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-18 19:27:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14858823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jem4ever/pseuds/Jem4ever
Summary: This is dedicated to all the firemen, paramedics, civilians, and people who lost loved ones on the morning of September 11th, 2001. This is also an Emison one-shot set around the events of that morning. Rated T for character death. R/R.





	1. It Happened on That Day

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimers: I do not own PLL or the characters. I do own the character of Jonathan.  
> Spoilers: None.  
> Rating: T for character death.

**_*Rosewood, Pennsylvania. December 11th, 2001*_ **

Emily makes her way through the streets of her hometown. The day she has put off for three whole months is a day she can no longer ignore. It has been exactly three months since _it_ happened. Exactly three months to the day since she woke up to what would be the beginning of a life-changing disaster.

Her children, Jonathan, who is 9 years old, and twin girls, Lily and Grace, who are only 9 months old, are in the backseat. Jon sits between his sisters, entertaining the babies.

"Look here, Lil," He says, pointing to a picture in the frame he is holding. "Here is you, and here's Gracie, and here is me! And look, here's mama and there is mommy."

Emily smiles sadly as she watches the young boy interact with his sisters though rearview mirror. She makes a turn and sees Jonathan look up and out of the window to see where they are.

**_*Rosewood Cemetery*_ **

Emily pulls over, parks the car, turns off the ignition, and leans against her seat, letting her eyes fall shut. She takes a deep, cleansing breath. She tries her very hardest not to let the tears fall. When she opens her eyes, she sees that Jon has unbuckled, and is standing up between the two front seats.

He places his hand on her shoulder, in a comforting way. He leans forward and presses a kiss to Emily's cheek.

"I love you, Mama," He tells her quietly, and just the way he whispers it is as though he understands every ounce of what she is feeling. After all, her life wasn't the only one that was changed on _that_ day three months ago.

"I love you, too, baby." She whispers before taking one more deep breath. She opens the car door, exiting and going to the back. She takes out Lily and Grace's stroller. Then, she opens the side door and unbuckles Lily from her car seat.

As she is getting the baby settled into the stroller, Jon comes around from his side. He has Grace in his arms, and Emily watches sadly as he masters putting the little girl into the stroller, buckling her up, and handing her her favorite teddy bear. Jon has grown up so much these past few months, so much more so than any 9-year-old should have to.

"All right, are you ready?" Emily asks gently. She directs the question towards Jon as Lily and Grace are simple too young to understand what is going on. Emily doesn't know whether to be happy about that or not, however. They were only 6 months old when _that_ day happened, and they are their usual happy, giggly selves right now.

"Yes, Mama," Jon answers. "I'm ready." As Emily pushes the stroller with Jon beside her, a light snow begins to fall, reminding them of the cold weather that has come in the last few weeks. They continue to walk along the pathway until they come to a certain headstone that is just a mere 10 weeks old.

Emily's eyes fill with tears as she remembers getting the phone call on _that_ day. The phone call that is reason for this headstone.

* * *

_Flashback: Tuesday, September 11th, 2001. 8:38 a.m. (New York)_

_At just after 7:38 in the morning on September 11th, Emily is making sure her son, 9-year-old Jonathan, has everything he needs for school. He has been in school for two solid weeks now. It is his first time being at a new school as he was in Rosewood the previous years before Emily and Alison decided to move to San Diego. He is in the fourth grade and so far he absolutely loves it._

_"All right, J-bug, you have your lunch?"_

_"Yes, Mama."_

_"Your backpack with your homework?"_

_"Uh-huh!"_

_"Shoes and jacket on?"_

_"Yep!"_

_"Okay then. Let's go load up in the car." They are making their way to the door when Emily's cell phone rings. It's Alison's ringtone. Emily stops Jon, and tells him to go wait in the living room with Lily and Grace, her twin 6-month-old daughters, while she speaks with Alison._

_(Emily, **Alison** )_

_"Hey, baby," Emily greets as she smiles. Alison is in Boston on a business trip. She was supposed to get home tomorrow night, but finished with everything early and is going to surprise Jon at school this afternoon when she picks him up._

**_"E-Em."_ ** _Hearing this tone, Emily's smile immediately drops. She feels a chill run down her spine. Something is up. Something...not good._

_"Ali? What's the matter?"_

**_"Em, I-I need you to promise something, okay? I-I don't know how much time I have left. I need you to tell the kids that I love them. Make sure they know their mommy loves them, so, so much."_ ** _She hears the tears in her wife's voice and suddenly finds herself unable to breath._

_"Alison, what is going on? You're scaring me, love."_

_But Alison ignores her and continues on, **"And be sure to tell them about me, okay? I don't want them to forget me. I don't want Lily and Grace to forget me. And don't be afraid to be the bad guy every once in a while."** Alison says this because Emily is the big softy out of the two, leaving Ali to do the displining._

_**"Be** **sure to tell them about how we met, okay? Just promise me that, Em."**_

_"Alison!" Now Emily is the one pleading. "Please! Just tell me what is going on. This isn't funny anymore, Ali. You're scaring me now."_

_The next words out of Alison's mouth cause Emily's heart to stop completely. **"The plane I am on has been hijacked. I don't think I am going to make it home. I love you so much, baby. So much. Don't you ever forget that."**_

_End of flashback_

* * *

_Present time_

Emily is pulled out of her thoughts by Grace calling her name. She looks down at her babies. They are every bit of Alison. They have her big blue eyes, her curly blonde hair, her dimples, her laugh. They are basically Alison in baby form times two.

"Ma-Ma!" Grace holds her hands up and Emily unbuckles her before picking her up. She turns to Jon, who is looking at the headstone.

"Do you want to put the flowers out that you picked for mommy, Jon?" He nods and reaches into the bag. He first pulls out a handmade Christmas card and sit by the headstone. Then, the roses. Three of them. Two reds and one pink, all signifying the love they had for Alison.

He lays them on the headstone. It reads:

 _Alison Lauren Dilaurentis-Fields_  
July 18th, 1968-September 11th, 2001  
Mother, Daughter, Wife, Friend  
Rest In Peace

Jon then bends down on his knees in front of it. "Hi, Mommy. It's me, Jon. Don't worry, okay? I promise me and Mama will tell Lil and Gracie all about you. They won't ever forget about their mommy, and I won't either." He sniffles. Emily puts Grace back in the stroller.

"It's okay, baby." Emily whispers as she bends down beside her son. "It's okay."

Jon wipes his tears away and continues speaking. "I miss you, Mommy. I wish you were here, but Mama says you are in a better place. I won't ever forget, not ever, Mommy, okay? I love you."

After Jon is done speaking, he steps way. Now, it is Emily's turn. She lets her eyes fall closed, and takes a slow, deep breath.

"Hi, baby," She whispers. "It's me. I can't believe we are actually here." She feels the tears begin to fall again. "This isn't fair, baby. You should be here with us. You should be here, watching Jon grow up and celebrating Lily and Grace's first Christmas. But, you're not. Instead, you are gone. And it isn't fair." She breathes in shakily.

"But, I want you to know that I will tell Lily and Grace about you every day of their lives. I will tell them about how you were a loving, kind, and beautiful woman. I will tell them how you would be so proud of them. Did you know Gracie said her first word the other day? It was 'Mama'." Emily breathes out a short laugh, a tiny small on her face. "I told you she was going to be a Mama's girl."

Emily stands up and gives one last look to Alison's headstone. "I won't let our children forget about you, baby. Not ever. I love you so much, Ali." Emily makes sure Grace is buckled up. She then presses a kiss to their foreheads. First Lily, the Grace.

Lily looks at her and smiles, giggling that same laugh that Alison did as a child. "I love you, my babies." She tells them. They begin walking back to the car. Jon looks up at his mother.

"Can we watch another video when we get home, Mama?" He asks. The past few months have been all about watching the videos of the girls when they were younger, especially the ones that involved Alison and Emily as young kids, or the ones from Jon's first Christmas, his first birthday, etc. that have Emily and Alison as a married couple.

Emily smiles. "I think that is a fantastic idea, baby." They load up in the car, and head home.

* * *

 

 


	2. Don't Forget to Remember Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alison calls and says goodbye to her friends and family before Flight 175 out of Boston, Massachusetts hits the South Tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was reading some stories and I came across a video on YouTube. It's of a caller from 9/11, who is in the tower and speaking to a 911 operator. The call starts out with him calling 911 and reporting that is he on the 105th floor and continues on until it captures his yells and then abruptly cuts off as the building collapses.
> 
> It's very unsettling and got me to thinking. Emily would not have been the only one Alison would want to say goodbye to. There would her friends, her nieces and nephews, her parents.
> 
> And then, with all that thinking, this was made. Please be aware of the major, major angst warning. It's not at all fluffy or happy, not anywhere close.
> 
> I want to give a shoutout to the guest who gave me Kudos and to MedHeadsUnite, who left a review on the last chapter.

* * *

 

It takes approximately ten minutes for Alison to go from putting on her headphones to listen to music to realizing something is very, _very_ wrong.

People are acting strangely.

Their whispering and craning their heads around the seats into the isles and pointing and just all around not acting like this flight is nothing out of the ordinary.

About 8 minutes later, she hears the words that steal her breath and sends chills down her spine…

_Hijackers_

God no. She thinks. It can't be true…can it? No, no, no, no, no. This isn't what was supposed to happen. This flight was supposed to bring her home. To her wife and her son and daughters.

She has presents. Presents she wants to watch Jon and Lily and Grace open.

She is supposed to pick Jon up after school today. It was going to be a surprise.

No, this can't be right.

She has to be misunderstanding the situation.

But then, she looks around. She sees people pulling out cell phones and getting the phones that are attached to the seats.

They call 911.

They call their families and friends and those they love.

They say "I love you," "Goodbye" and she hears snippets of "Plane" "hijacked" "we won't make it" and sees people breaking down after their calls go to voicemail instead of the person picking up.

She realizes what she has to do.

She has to be one of _those_ people. One of those who pull out their phones and dials a number they never wanted to call for this reason.

She starts with Emily.

My God, she thinks, she can barely breathe afterward. She begged Emily to tell the kids about her, not to let them forget their mommy. She told her not to be afraid to be the bad person every once in a while and then begged Emily never to forget how much she loved.

She said the words that drew sobs, deep, heart-wrenching sobs, from her wife _"The plane I am on has been hijacked. I don't think I will make it home."_

She decides to leave her parents for last. She wants to be able to hear their voices if it's the last thing she hears. She would have picked Emily but knows that in a few minutes, Emily would be driving Jon to school, and besides, she could be dead at any moment.

She looks at the name that is first.

 _Aria Montgomery_.

She dials the familiar number and can barely keep tears out of her voice when her 12-year-old niece, Harper, is the one to answer the phone.

"Hi, Auntie Ali! Do you need to talk to Mama?" Alison says yes and Harper runs to get Aria. Alison asks her to get Ezra and go somewhere private. She knows she doesn't have a lot of time.

Choking out the same words she told her wife, Ali listens as her best friend breaks down into tears. She says goodbye even as Aria is begging her not to go. Alison does anyway. She has others she needs to say goodbye to.

Next is her sister, Spencer Cavanaugh. She doesn't even try to keep the tears at bay this time. She repeats for a third time the words that are burned into her mind.

She tells Spencer she is sorry for all the times she teased and taunted her for being a "goody-two-shoes" and getting perfect grades. She tells her she is sorry she won't be there for the birth of her nephew, Toby and Spencer's first child.

Alison hears Toby in the background, asking his wife what is wrong. The next thing she is aware of is him demanding to know who is on the phone. And then, _what the hell_ Alison could have said to make her this.

Alison tells him, for the fourth time, the words that no one ever wants to hear. She tells the man that is like a brother to her to make sure her nephew knows who she is. She hangs up and has to take a moment to get herself together.

Then, Hanna. The last of her friends. "Hey, Al! What's up?" She almost can't handle the other blonde's cheerfulness.

"Han,…Hanna, you know I love you, right?"

"Yeah…?" She's confused. Honestly, Alison doesn't blame her.

"You're like a sister to me, Han. I am so grateful for the day that I met you. I just want you to know that I am _so sorry_ for all the time that I teased you about your weight in high school. I never meant it. I wish I could take it back. If I could, I would in a heartbeat."

"Alison, what the _hell_ are you talking about?" But Alison knows she means _why_ and not _what_.

"Hanna, the-the plane I am on, it's-" but she's cut off by Hanna letting out a sob.

"Oh, God, Ali, please, tell me you are joking…" Alison doesn't answer this, but she can hear Hanna yelling for Caleb to "get in here, _now_!"

She hears him ask what's wrong. She hears Hanna choke out something about "the news," "plane," and "Alison." Alison realizes that, by now, the news must be talking about what is going on.

"Ali, I love you so much. God, I am so sorry. I-I…" but Hanna trails off, not sure of what to say. Alison doesn't blame. She would be speechless, too.

"I have to go, Hanna. I need to call my parents and Jason," Alison doesn't hear Hanna's response as she has already hung up.

She takes a deep breath, steels herself, and then…

She calls her parents. Her mom answers.

She's cheerful, but immediately stops when she hears Alison's sobs.

Jessica is concerned and thinks something has happened to Emily or one of the kids. And God, how Alison wishes it were true.

She can barely say the words, as she says, "Mommy," she hasn't called her mother that in nearly 25 years. Jessica realizes this isn't just a social call.

Alison can hear her mother calling her dad into the room. She puts the call on speaker and Alison chokes out,

"Mama, Daddy, I love you guys so much. I am sorry for the way I acted when I was younger. All the smart mouth comments and being bitchy and all the times when you just wanted to make feel better, and I was a brat. I know it seemed like I didn't appreciate you guys, but I did. So much. You're the best parents anyone could ever ask for. I love you so much. Please don't ever forget that."

She can hear her mom trying to choke back her own sobs, and her dad saying in that strict "dad" voice, "Alison Dilaurentis, you tell us what is going on right now."

"Daddy-…Daddy, the plane I am own has been hijacked. I don't know if we will make it and I don't know if I will get off this plane alive. I love you guys so much. Please, if I don't make it, please help Emily with Jon and Lily and Grace. I love you so, so much."

It's silence for a brief moment. Then she hears her father's angry laced with tears.

"Alison Lauren, this _is not_ funny! Why would…why would you say something like that?"

"It's true, Daddy. I am so sorry. Please, I love you guys so much, don't forget that, okay? I have to go." Alison hangs up.

She dials Jason's number.

She listens to it ring.

She listens to the voicemail, telling her to leave a name and number, that Jason would call her back.

She hears someone scream. And then another. And another.

She doesn't have time to hang up the phone.

She has no idea that the voicemail captured her screams.

She has no idea that Jason's last conversation with Alison is a voicemail where someone can be heard faintly in the background, yelling, "Oh, God, we're going to hit the Trade Center!" before everything goes silent.

* * *

At exactly 8:46 a.m. on what was a beautiful sunny day, thousands of people watch as a plane, hijacked by terrorists, crashes into the North Tower.

6 families, in particular, Emily Dilaurentis-Fields, Aria and Ezra Montgomery-Fitz, Jessica and Kenneth Dilaurentis, Spencer and Toby Cavanaugh, Hanna and Caleb Rivers, and Jason Dilaurentis watch in horror as the plane hits the tower.

They wait.

For days, they wait for a sign of life of Alison Dilaurentis-Fields.

They wait to get that call. The one that says, "Mrs. Dilaurentis-Fields, we have your wife. She is alive."

That turns in to them waiting for her body to be discovered. To be told that Alison is not coming home.

They wait for so long that, finally, they are forced to get a headstone for the cemetery. Something to give them, but especially Emily, Jon, Lily and Grace, closure.

They wait. They get pissed. They break down. They grieve. They move on. They _never forget_.

But mostly, they think, _why_. Why her? Why us? Why, why, why?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review and let me know what you thought. And once again, I am very sorry for those that lost a loved one on this day.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay! So here it is. If any of my readers lost a loved one on this day, I cannot even begin to imagine the pain you are going through. And I am very sorry for your loss.
> 
> If you would, please review and let me know how I did and what you thought!


End file.
